Barry Lewis: Women feel the stress as Christmas gets closer

We hadn't even finished off the Thanksgiving leftovers when I heard Bonnie let out a disparaging observation:

Barry Lewis

We hadn't even finished off the Thanksgiving leftovers when I heard Bonnie let out a disparaging observation:

"Oh, great, now we gotta start planning for Christmas."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not looking forward to Christmas. Too much work."

I should have simply nodded and left the room. Could have. A smart man would have. Not me. I asked, "What work?"

She shot me the "Oh, really, you don't have a clue" look.

"We gotta decide when to get the tree, get down the decorations from the attic and then put them up ... this house needs to be cleaned and I have to figure out when we want to have folks over ... plan out a menu for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and go shopping for food ... get the dogs to the groomers ... don't even get me started on shopping... the cards, I forgot about the cards, got to get them out and you're gonna sign them this year ... still haven't told me what you want ... when is Hanukkah anyway? ... where did we put those candles? ... do we need more wrapping? ... so when are you getting the tree?"

(Note to self: Start getting decaf eggnog.)

Look, I'm an outsider here.

I adopted this holiday, not because I believe in the religious connotations that surround Christmas but because I believe in peace on earth, good will toward men, and the gifts you get on Christmas are way cooler than the ones I ever got on Hanukkah.

I also like going out with the boys on a December morning, weaving our way around the blue spruce and Douglas fir, carefully checking all sides for dead spaces and measuring the height to bring home the perfect tree. Strategically cover it with lights and ornaments. Fill it underneath with lots of gifts. Deck our halls.

That's one bar mitzvah boy's take on Christmas.

I admit it's all a lot more challenging than replacing a candle in the menorah. More expensive, too. Which might explain why 45 percent of Americans in a Think Finance poll said the holiday season brings so much financial pressure, they would prefer to skip it altogether.

The Asda Mumdex survey found that women worry so much about planning and spending for Christmas that by July, nearly all of them are stockpiling presents. The survey also found that by July:

Talk about holiday pressure. I don't know if I should envy these women or just despise them. They're six months early with cards and decorations? We're lucky to get the decorations up and mail out cards before opening the gifts.

As a way to relieve her stress, I was going to suggest to Bonnie that she consider planning for Christmas a bit more ahead. Don't wait until after Thanksgiving. Start shopping after Easter. Or better yet — right after the previous Christmas. To make it easier on herself.

I was gonna suggest that. But I decided to just nod and leave the room.